New Jersey hospital system fires six supervisors for refusing COVID shots

A New Jersey hospital system has fired half a dozen senior employees for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The edict by RWJBarnabas Health — the Garden State's largest private employer — comes as the country contends with another wave of cases as the Delta variant spreads among unvaccinated Americans.

RWJBarnabas on Thursday confirmed it had parted company with six workers, citing "an ethical and professional responsibility to protect our patients and ensure a safe, COVID-19-free environment."  New Jersey's biggest health care system will be "mandating vaccination for all staff and physicians and will be announcing our plans in the coming days," a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch in an email. RWJBarnabas employs more than 35,000 people, including 9,000 physicians and 1,000 residents and interns. It operates 15 hospitals and a slew of medical centers across New Jersey.